Category Archives: contest

I hope you all had a wonderful Mother’s Day! My day started like this: Breakfast in bed with fresh berries, a decaf latte, homemade cards and gifts, and a new–gorgeous–orchid for my collection. It was a lazy day, with … Continue reading →

I met Gillian Marchenko a few years ago through her blog, when I was swept up in the story of her and her husband’s journey to adopt their sweet Evangeline, who has Down Syndrome, from Ukraine. (Polly, their third biological child, … Continue reading →

Last week, I interviewed Beth Kephart and wrote about how much her writing has meant to me over the years. That’s one of the things I do here, of course–I write about and interview authors I admire. I describe how … Continue reading →

My friend and former student, Emily Hedges, who is also the dynamo behind my blog book tour, said one of the most wonderful things about Ready for Air. She said, “Your book is a book that people want to share. When someone has … Continue reading →

Well, today is the official release date for Ready for Air. It seems unreal, but there you have it. Of course I’ve written about my struggles to get this book out into the world. And yet, here I am, with … Continue reading →

I have been reading Beth Kephart’s work since before I could call myself a writer and really believe it. And when I say I was reading Beth’s work, I mean I was studying it. Because each of her books and … Continue reading →

Happy late Mother’s Day, my friends. I meant to write a post on Sunday. I *thought* about posting. I even *planned* my post. But then I fell asleep on the couch. It was a much needed nap after an exciting … Continue reading →

Great news! I’m thrilled to announce that Use Your Words is Pregnancy & Newborn magazine’s book club pick for April. Whoop! You can read my interview with them here. Also, Pregnancy & Newborn just launched its first Motherhood Essay contest. This … Continue reading →

Thanks to all of you who posted a comment in response to my post about Patricia Zaballos’ wonderful new book, Workshops Work! The winners of the three ebooks are Michelle of the Parent Vortex, Maria, and Tee! Patricia will be … Continue reading →

I have been meaning to announce the winner of the 5th annual Motherhood & Words Haiku contest for a week now. Life has been, um, hectic. The days following my return from NY (which was fabulous, by the way) were filled with many loads of laundry because our washing … Continue reading →

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Welcome!

I'm a mother, writer and teacher. I've been helping moms tell the stories they need to tell since 2006. I'm the author of Use Your Words: A Writing Guide for Mothers (Viva Editions, 2012) and Ready for Air, a memoir about the premature birth of my daughter (University of Minnesota Press, 2013), and co-author of Silent Running (forthcoming, Triumph Books, April 2015). I teach in Ashland University's Low-residency MFA program, and I teach "Motherhood & Words" online and at the Loft Literary Center in Minneapolis. I'm interested in writing and teaching and motherhood and where these things intersect. On this blog I review motherhood literature, interview authors, check in about my own writing and teaching, and sometimes post about my family. Join the discussion!

Disclosure

I do not receive pay for promoting or reviewing books or interviewing authors on Motherhood & Words, though I do sometimes receive free review copies from authors and publishers. My first responsibility is to my readers and I am committed to honest reviews. Please note that I do not trash books or authors, so if your book doesn’t work for me or isn’t a fit for Motherhood & Words, I will not post about it.